Careers at OLAJTERV Tervező

We talked to two engineer colleagues at OLAJTERV Tervező Ltd., which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year: Péter Endre Nagy and Gábor Halmi, who together have been working for the company for over 60 years. In the following article they will tell the most memorable moments of the past decades.

How long and in what role have you worked at OLAJTERV Tervező Ltd. and its predecessor?

Péter: I’ve started here at OLAJTERV at the Layout Design Department on the 1st September, 1980, after graduating from the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the Technical University of Budapest. This is my first job, and in essence I have been performing the same job for the past 43 years: I carry out the layout design of technological plants, which captures the plant layout from the perspective of the construction profession, while the technological requirements must be met.

Gábor: I joined OLAJTERV Tervező Ltd. in 2002 as a mechanical engineer. I participated in various projects, at the beginning as a subordinate designer, and I visited the Danube Refinery (DUFI) a lot, mainly for site survey. In the first couple of years, I visited almost the entire DUFI. At that time we still used paper, pencil and measuring tape for these surveys. After a few years I became an independent engineer and then a lead engineer. In the beginning, I typically participated in Hungarian projects, however in the last ca. 15 years I have worked primarily in international projects.

What's the secret? How can you spend so much time at a workplace? What motivates you in your job?

Péter: The time spent here can be divided into several periods, each had its own excitement and challenge. In the first ten years, we still drew the plans in the traditional way, by hand. Then the computer appeared in the 80s. In 1988, I was also able to sit down at an IBM PC and we started the transition to digital design. Of course, this was by no means an easy task, as the profession had to be rebuilt without a particular model, since the digital revolution was taking place all over the world at the same time. We didn't just have to learn how to design on a computer, we had to rethink the entire process. The third period began in 1992, when OLAJTERV acquired a three-dimensional pipe design system as part of a serious technology development. Nowadays, we are performing three-dimensional BIM (Building Information Modelling) planning. I have been lucky enough to work on many different projects over the years: LPG cylinder filler stations, refinery plants, storage areas, gas and oil pipeline stations, mining sites etc.

Gábor: I like the variety the most in my work, this is what inspires me even after more than 20 years. Every project, design and working team is unique. Informal relationships are particularly important in the planning processes, they "cement" the company together, a cohesive team and a good community are both very important to me.

What has been the most memorable project, memory or moment for you so far?

Péter: The transition to digital design and the first 3D pipe design project (MTBE plant) were an extremely inspiring experience. New technologies have opened completely new possibilities. IT skills played an important role in my career: I was the engineer among the IT staff, and the IT guy among the engineers. Working in the frontier of these two disciplines made my work fascinating to this day.

Gábor: At the beginning of my career, I had a defining experience during the modernization of the aromatics plant in DUFI, where I had to go up to the highest column of the refinery, where I could see the entire refinery and quite a few of my previous designs. In that moment I realized that I took part in creating this and I finally saw the tangible results of my work. While in my previous workplaces I only designed, but could not see what I had created, what it looked like, here I can follow the implementation and realization of our plans. 

How do you see the coming period, your future at OLAJTERV Tervező?

Gábor: I am confident that in the future the projects will continue to be diverse and interesting, creative and varied work awaits me. For example, the project I am currently working on has quite a few challenges, that require insight into other disciplines. This will greatly promote my professional development and the expansion of my knowledge. 

Péter: In the next few years, knowledge transfer is one of my most important goals in layout design and in training young engineers. I would also like to pass on the AutoCAD tricks I have learned over the years to my colleagues.

We thank Péter and Gábor for their work and wish them much success in their upcoming challenges!